Animal-trap.



W. LEDYARD.

ANIMAL TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 20. 19M.

Patented Nov. 16, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

cow/mam PLANOGRAPH CO.,\VASHINGTON. u. c.

W. LEDYARD.

ANIMAL TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 20, 1914 1,160,622. Patented Nov. 16, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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WOLTERS LEDYABZD, or caznncirin, NEW YORK, Ass enon ro i rirnntnr REMINGTONfQF,CAZENOVIA, New Yonn;

ANIMAL-TRAP. I

Specification of Letters Patent. Patgnted N 16 1915 Applicationfiled lunew,1914. seria iv siazse.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WoL'rnns LEDYARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cazenovia, Madison county, New York, have invented certain new andusefullmprovements in Animal-Traps, of which the following is a clear, full, and exact description.

This invention relates to animal-traps of the class more particularly adapted for catching such animals as inuskrats and mink.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an animal trap which is adapted to 1 t on the surface of the water and to hold the bait above the water in such position that, as for instance, a muskrator a mink in swimming up to the trap will be apt to.

spring the same due to the effort toreajch thebait.v I I Other objects of the invention are toprdvide practical, eiiicient and siinplemeans for trapping animals whether on land or in the water. a

These being among the general objects of the present invention, the same consists of certain features of construction and combi nations of parts to be hereinafter described and then claimed with reference to the ac companying drawings showing suitable embo diinents of the invention, in which drawings Y i I I Figure l is a plan view of the improved trap showing the same set; Fig. 2 a similar view showing the parts of the trap folded together; Fig. 3 is a side view of Fig.2, .en-

la'i'gcd; Fig. 4: is an J enlarged end view of: Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow;

Fi s. 5 and 6 are nan views of a modified 0 7 r. form or the nvention show ng respectively a trap set and a trap after being sprung;

r igs. 7, .8 and 9 are sectionaldetailson lines 7 -7, 88, and 9.9',0f F 1;, and, Fig. 10 is an enlarged sideview at IO -IO of Fig. 6.

Referring to the drawings, the catching members 10, ll of tlietrap are; pivoted to: gether at 12, like a pair of dividers, SQ'jdS; to constitute a pair of pivoted jaws or members which are provided at. their adjacent inner faces with fangs or teeth 13, '14, which when the aws are closed together, are adapted to catch andvhold the animal. Preferably the teeth are in staggered position with respect to each other, and preferably the ends of the teeth enter corresponding holes or recesses in the inner faces of the jaws so that the jaws may be folded snugly together.

The closed position of the is shown in Fig. 2 anClithe open. position in 1. i The jaws are held the former position by spring tension aildare brought toclosed position by thesaine. The springineans em ployed for this purpose preferably consists of helical coil 15 of spring wire, the ends of whichare'formed with extensions 16 which W run a suitable distance along grooves in the outer sides of the jaws, the ends 17 of said extensions being bent inwardly and anchored in the material of the jaws.

.;The trigger 18 for the jaws is pivoted at one end preferably near the outer end of one of the jaws at 19, while the free end of the trigger 18 is provided with beveled teeth'20,preferablyat each side of saidend, which teeth are adapted to be brought into engagement with a pin 21 011 the other jaw. As shown, the'pivot connection for the triggerlS is provided by means of a clip 22, into which enters the pivot end of the trigger, and a pivot pin 23 is firmly fixed in the jaw and the end .of clip Inasmuch as the improved trap is intended for use in the water as well as on land,for which reason its position in use may be changed,it is desirable that there be a slight spacebetween the ivoted end of the trigger and the jaw and clip, and that the hole to receive the pivot be somewhat enlarged,so asto permit the trigger to'be moved from; the full line position shown in Fig. 4, to the dotted line position. In the full line position the trap is set as Fig. ,1, but in the dotted line positioniithe trigger has been released so that the trap'wi-ll be sprung.

, Thenieans for holding the bai tiniaybe of suitable construction, but its bait-holding end is 'preferablytsodisposed as tolocate the bait within the three sides of the triangle formedby he jawsand the trigger 18. To this end either the trigger 18 may carry at its mid-length a; bracket 25., onwhich. is mounted a bait-stick 26, having a jointed endiextendin g away from the plane of the jaws; and jaw 10 may have an inclined hole 28, in which the same bait stick 26 maybe inserted so that it-will have the inclined position shownin dottedlines at 27 in Figs. 1,

' pivoted jaws30, 31, the ends of whichare pivotally connected at 32,33 withthe jaws I 10, 11. Under this'form of theinvention a I Y frial which will cause the trap to float. 'When' floating four-sided spring-tensioned jawframe is provided, which is held distended by the trigger when the trapis set. When the parts are folded together they appearas I in Fig. 6.

An important feature of theinvention re sides. in the fact that the above-described construction of trap or itsequivalent may readily be made to float on the water. When the trap is intended to fioat,the jaws or members 10,11 are composed either partly or entirely ofwood or other suitablematethetrap isfloated, the embodiment of the invention shown will of course be in substantially horizontalp'osition and'should be anchored as by means of a cord or the like attachedas to the loop'or coil15. When so anchored the head of the trap will be di- "rectedup-stream an'da muskrat '1 or mink swimming towardthe trap to'get the bait will in all likelihood press'down upon the trigger with one of its fore paws sothat it can reach the bait, which is" elevated above the water by the bait-stick. Upon pressing down on the trigger 18 the same is instantly tripped and released, said trigger being moved'in a direction away from the plane of the spring-actuated jaws of the trap.' By

adapting the trigger tothe trap in substan= tially the manner shown, the'trigger is rendered' very sensitive to slight" downward pressure, especially when the trap is used on I the Water, it being then in horizontal position, ornearly so. Said trigger canalso set the trap independently of the bait-holding means, which in the floating position of the trap is located abovethe trigger.

, 'What I claim is: I f' V f 1'. In an animal trap, thec'ombina'tionof spring-actuated jaws, a trigger for. setting said jaws, said trigger being sensitive to slight downward pressure for springing said trap,"and .bait-jholdingmeans, said trap bemg composed in part at' least of buoyant material,exemplified by wood for floating it, and 111 the floating and operatingposition otwhich trap the receiving end of said baitholding means stands at a point above said Copies of this patent maybe obtained for ping jaws to a poifi beyond trigger and the submerged part of said buoyant material, saidtrigger being adapted to set said trap independently of said baitholding means. V I I I 2, In an animaltrap, the combination of bait-holding means, means,comprising jaws, for establishing the buoyancy of said trap and adapted when the trap is floating to support the receiving portion of said baitholding means ata point upwardly from the subm'ergedpart of said buoyant means, and

a sensitivetrigger for setting s'aid'trap independently of said bait-holding means and positioned beneath said receiving portion of said holding means when said trap'is in floating position.

. 3. In an animal trap, the combination of spring-actuated connected jaws composed in. part at. least of buoyant material, whereby' to float the trap, a trigger adapted to set said trap independently of its bait-holdingmeans,

and arranged so that'it is located transversely of and adjacent the outer ends of the, jaws when the trap 1s set,;-and said baitholding means located to hold the bait between the ends of but above said trigger, said trigger being responsive to a slight pressure downwardly to spring the trap.

4. In an animal trap, the combination of spring-actuated jaws, a bait holder, and a trigger pivotally mounted at one end on one of said jaws and having a play on its pivot,

independent of its pivotal movement,laterally ofthe plane of-action of said jaws, a" 7 part of said trlgger having engagement sensitively with the other ofsaid jaws, whereby said trigger may be released from the latter aw when moved laterally, and said triggerbeing adapted to set said trapindependently of said. bait-holding means.

five cents each,'liy addressing the Co m missioner' of Paten Was hington,D.'G.; i i I y f Signed at Cazenov-ia, N. 'Y., this 15th day1 ,95 the path of Corrections in Letters Patent No. 1,160,622.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,160,622, granted November 16, 1915, upon the application of Wolters Ledyard, of Cazenovia, New York, for an improvement in Animal-Traps, errors appear in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 1, line 100, for the word jointed read pointed; page 2,

line 17, for the Word embodiment read embodiments; and that the said Letters Patent should be read With these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 7th day of December, A. D., 1915.

[SEAL] R. F. WHITEHEAD,

7 Acting Commissioner of Patents. 01. 43-23. 

